Alliser Tully
Allister is the aging Lord of Riverrun, the seat of House Tully. He is one of the many claimants to the Kingdom of the Trident who made a claim at the Council of Harrenhal. Appearance Alliser is well into his twilight years, an old man grasping to the remnants of a warrior’s body. Though he remains flat stomached and handsome in an aged way, his muscled prime is well behind him; his vigour and vitality leach away with each day though he would never admit it. Where his shoulders were once broad and strong, they have narrowed now and he is forced to embrace new styles that are appropriate to his form. Where he could once march for days without rest, and eat the meagre rations of a soldier, now he can scarce march a day without resting. Age has made its presence known all over his body, and Alliser try as he might knows his time is coming to an end. He puts on a brave show in public, but in private these worries are a mosaic over his body and face. Alliser carries age in only the way a man with years of tenacious experience can; with mercurial hair, and fierce, crystal eyes. He may be aged but retains the fierce demeanour of a man who has seen more than most on the continent. His face is lined with the concerns of a man who has governed a realm that has hung on a precipice for all his life; peace has been a fight to achieve. His eyes, despite his age, remain blue as the crystal waters on which Riverrun sits, though are now deep set and lined with worry and concern. The bags under his eyes, formed from a combination of lack of sleep, and long life in equal measure, sit heavy on his face; they almost never cease to leave him unburdened now, a mark of his weariness and his adventurous life. The coarse grain of his beard, long the colour of ash, following the siege of Riverrun during the War of the Trident has turned to snow. He keeps it managed, cropped short and trimmed. His body is lean, honed from a lifetime of bandit hunting, and Riverlander lordly life, but without the muscle that once defined him. Where once he was a sinewed muscled defender, a man capable of holding any position and leading men better than most others, now he holds the mind but not the body to do direct combat himself. Alliser was gangly and long limbed in his youth, almost laughably so, finding his physique only as he started his training as a knight. Now in his old age, he has lost the height he commanded previous, he does though retain an authoritative presence, and is capable of turning a room to him at a moment’s notice. Core to this presence, is a baritone voice that evokes the graveled, stone laden, river bed of the tumblestone, both dangerous and enrapturing at the same time. History Alliser was born to Lord Edmure Tully and Lady Alena Tully née Durrandon on the 2nd moon of 233AA as the banks of the Red Fork overflowed in the swell of flooding rain. The castle of Riverrun rejoiced that night, for Alliser was born healthy, and with lungs as loud as any war horn. Named for his grandfather Alliser was the heir to Riverrun in a time of rebuilding after the Bloody Wolf’s War. Though it wasn’t known at the time of his birth but it would seem his birth heralded a time of great peace for Riverrun, and after the calm years of his early childhood came to be, many would look to Alliser as a great stabilising force. It came to the young heirs attention that he was regarded by the people of Riverrun as something of a lucky charm, and it was whispered by the superstitious that so long as Alliser was inside Riverrun, the walls would never fall. His early years were spent much as any heir’s are; he learned his letters, and his numbers, he worked on his sword, and his diplomacy. He was according to his teachers and his master-at-arms, a boy of average intellect, but an unabated hunger to learn. He was thirsty to always experience more than he should, he sat in every council meeting Edmure held, and he tested his arm against every knight he could. More than that, whenever a caravan passed through Riverrun, Alliser was desperate to hear the stories of their travels and ask about their homes. This adventurous spirit was obvious to all who met the boy, and it was this that led to Edmure approaching King Brynden to squire his son. This offer was taken up with an agreement that for as long as Brynden was alive House Tully would be the most loyal of vassals. In the formative years of his squiring Alliser had several experiences that dictated how he would grow and see the world around. Alliser grew quickly as a squire, he was tall for his age, broad shouldered and strong. His weapon of choice was the sword, his off-hand used for the shield, but his real passion was command. The first battle Alliser took part in was a small bandit uprising between Rushing Falls and Harrenhal, barely a teen at the time Alliser was placed in the rear guard. It was here he was able to oversee the entire battle as it took place, and it was here that his passion and his presence would find convergence. It took several more skirmishes to discover the agitator of the bandits, by the end of the year Alliser was leading the rear on his own. His experience at being a commander crystallizing in a battle on the banks of God’s Eye where he guarded the rear force of King Brynden Fletcher personally. Though he was of average mind, and average sword, it seemed Alliser was a defensive savant, and command was learned through experience. In his later teenage years Alliser was permitted to travel the realm with the royal party, visiting the major houses and meeting lords and ladies alike. In these years he was taken to the Kingdom of the Rock and met many of the lords of the western kingdom; in particular he met a young Tion Lannister, and a fast friendship was struck up. It was during this time he met his future wife Lady Jeyne Mallister, their love was like a forest fire, bright and displayed for all, unusual for the heir of House Tully; a reserved person by nature the more he grew into adulthood. It was on a journey in the same year that Alliser was caught at Grell House by a bandit raid, Alliser this time took the center command, and found himself commanding with a skill few could ignore. He was at last an authoritative figure capable of commanding on his own without a more experienced commander to oversee him. It was from this point onwards that whenever a commander was needed many lords thought of Alliser Tully of Riverrun. It was on the battlefield after defeating 150 armed bandits with 40 greenboys that King Brynden knighted Alliser in the sight of The Seven, and the Old Gods. The wedding feast between Houses Tully and Mallister took place a few years later on the turn of the year and the alliance between the houses is solidified with a lavish feast and highly famous tournament; the Tournament of the Leaping Trout. At this tournament any knight in the Riverlands, Vale and West worth their salt was present and it marked a high point even in this time of great peace of commonality between the three kingdoms. Sadly the joy was not to last for even as Riverrun celebrated the union for many moons after, Lord Edmure was called to assist Lord Mallister against an Ironborn raiding party. At the same time Alliser’s mother Alena was set to give birth, word came back as the last of her children was born, Edmure had been cut down in battle; Alena’s heart and indeed her spirit could not bear the loss of her love and wept for nigh on six moons. Alliser was made Lord of Riverrun, Head of House Tully, and his first act was a commitment before the old gods in the Riverrun Godswood to raise his new born brother as if he was his very own son. The next year this vow would be tested, as his wife Jeyne Mallister would give birth to his own first son Alesander. The next several years are spent solidifying his position as Lord of Riverrun, managing the affairs of his domain and watching his radiant wife give birth to another son but he is stillborn. The tragedy strikes deep at Alliser and Jeyne and they go without speaking to one another for several moons, a depression settling between them. Alliser once again travels west into the Kingdom of the Rock and meets with his closest friend Tion Lannister. Tion being a holy man, devout to his faith, and wise beyond his years even then, advised the Lord of Riverrun to pray, and make peace with The Seven; only then could he move on from the stillbirth. Alliser listens to and heeds this advice, though not a man of faith, he finds some small solace in Tion’s words. Alliser three years on from returning from the Rock hosts the Tournament of the Golden Trout. A large purse is put on offer but the real purpose of the tournament is to bring together all the Tully allies - and put a showing to the Fletchers that House Tully is their most powerful bannerman by far. Three royal families are in attendance, Arryn, Durrandon, and Lannister, along with a host of proud riverlords. The Tournament is won by Andar Arryn heir to the Vale, and Alliser finds himself admiring the precociousness of the young prince. Alliser would in turn be invited to the coronation of King Andar not many years later, and a healthy respect develops between the two, the Tully’s being marked by the Arryn’s as lords of note. The peace in the Riverlands continued and as the peace went on, Lord Lychester elected to implement a new tax. At this time Alliser takes Tristifer Bracken as his squire, raising the boy and showing him the martial ways of knights and lords. Lychester’s peasants already unhappy with the selfish and greedy lord revolted and Alliser was called to battle once more - and once more he would direct the battle from the rear reminding any and all just how skilled a commander was. It was during this battle that he also began building a reputation for being able to fortify a position. He made the plan to turn the Lychester Holdfast into an island, digging a rudimentary moat around the hold. It was from this position that he broke the peasants not with blade and arrow but with word and open palm. He granted most leave to return to their farms, but the instigators were to take the black. He was a fortifier through and through, not just militarily but politically. On returning from this battle, passion is reignited between Alliser and Jeyne and they return to their inferno passion as if it was never extinguished. For the next few years peace remains with the Riverlands, and the fortune placed on Alliser birth appears to hold true, not once does war come to the lands of House Tully. Instead he takes to beating back Ironborn raiders, and though he continues to build himself a strong reputation, he loses his brother Brynden in a raid. During this time whispers begin and Alliser is in passing reffered to as Riverheart. This sets deep into his heart an unquenchable revulsion for the raiders, and he vows to crush them if ever given the chance. His wife gives birth to a girl in this time, a beautiful, red haired girl, with eyes that glitter like emeralds; Gwyn she is named and the moon on her birth is as red as blood. In this period of his life Alliser takes to traveling to visit his fellow lords, recommitting to his old allies and friends that he is there for them, in the heart of the riverlands, and Riverrun is open to them always. He finds with his wife to bring forth another set of lives into this world, a pair of boys Elmo and Kermit. The birth leaves Jeyne weak, her body seemingly barely clinging to life after the boys are born. She is far too weak to milk them herself and a milk maid is brought in from the Vale. Jeyne spends the rest of the year bedridden, and though she recovers, she and Alliser know she will never birth life into Riverrun again. Though Alesander is his heir, and the boy receives the very best in training that House Tully can provide, whispers spread through the castle that it is Gwyn who is in fact her father’s favourite child. She is smart beyond belief, and a beauty that is famous through the Riverlands, her hair and her eyes earn her the name the Ruby of Redfork. While Alesander trains with his father in matters of command and leadership, Gwyn takes up cyvasse with her father, and together they form a bond that is stronger than many fathers and their daughters. The twins quickly show an efficiency for working together to get into trouble, their sword arms the best House Tully has seen in a generation. Gwyn, Alesander, and Alliser work together to reject every suitor that comes for Gwyn’s hand, for while the Ruby of the Redfork and Alesander vie for their fathers attention, they are as close as thieves. These years are looked on by Alliser as the golden years of his life, and Riverrun knows a happiness not seen since the height of his father’s reign. Laughter fills the halls, command practice rings out across the battlements, and the fields are grown thick and tall - House Tully takes its place once more as the major bannerman to House Fletcher, though an animosity remains between the new King Tristifer Fletcher and Lord Tully. This animosity leads to a neglect that is fueled by the early years of Allisers life where he pulled Brynden’s attention away from his own son. The joy was not to last, for too soon did the War of the Trident break out and in his later years Lord Alliser Tully was forced to once more take up command. With the marriage with House Frey solidified between his heir Alesander and Roslin, Alesander took the young Frey heir as his squire a few years earlier. For two years the war would rage on, and Riverrun was sieged for a greater portion of the war than Alliser would have liked. It was thanks only to his command ability, and his knowledge of siege warfare that the fortress held out as long as it did. As supplies began to grow low, Alliser called his brothers, his wife, and his precious daughter to his chambers; there he pitched to them the idea of promising Gwyn to King Lannister if he would ride to the aid of the Riverlands. Alliser has run out tricks to keep the walls clear of battle, the river moats of the castle would only hold so long and Gardener was a ferocious foe. Jeyne begged Alliser to reconsider, his brothers suggested instead to propose Gwyn’s hand to Gardener himself, and the woman in question voted to use her hand for her father’s idea. The plan was successful and the story of what happened afterwards is now a legend, and Alliser fully embrasses the alias of Riverheart. The war would turn from that point onwards, Tully and Lannister fighting side-by-side, the young precocious Lannister prince and the grizzled veteran Lord Tully working together. His age catching up to him after the war Alliser takes a more active role in coaching his own son, teaching him the rigours of leadership. As part of this he spends much time with Tyrion Lannister, providing the wisdom only an experienced lord can. After the war the Riverlands is set to rebuilding, and in the absence of their King, Alliser begin preparing his son for something larger than just lordship. Allister is one of the few lords who has been prepared for war his entire life, and found himself pushed to the limit by the evaporation of his liege lord. Pushed to the outside of Tristifer II court, he has never forgiven the late king for abandoning him in his hour of need. Resentment has found purchase in his sandstone walls, and like a weed it has grown vine-like and strangling. The Riverlands now stands on the precipice at the council of Harrenhal, Alliser with the strongest marriage alliance in all the Riverlands is in a place to act on his resentment. For him there can be no Arryn on the throne, and the smaller houses are incapable of securing peace for the Trident, instead it must be himself or Lord Mallister who takes the throne - either way the age of House Fletcher is over. It is time for a new dynasty, a strong dynasty, and House Tully will present the strongest possible case for the Riverlands to swear themselves to the leaping trout. “A woman cannot be a king any more than a dog be a dragon. Little Mia cannot be the King and so the Riverlands must bring to the throne a new royal house - Who better than House Tully?” Timeline * 233: Alliser is born on the night that flooding rains overflow the banks of the Red Fork to Lord Edmure Tully, and the young Lady Alena Tully nee Durrandon. * 245: Alliser begins squiring for King Brynden I in Harrenhal, and grows close to the King while remaining awkwardly distant from his son, then Prince Tristifer III. Alliser travels with and on behalf of King Brynden to the Kingdom of the Rock, and Kingdom of the Vale. * 249: After holding Grell House against a bandit attack outnumbered 150 to 40, King Brynden I knights Alliser on the field. * 252: Alliser marries Jeyne Mallister at Riverrun. The feast is marked as notable for the wedding party supplying a three-tiered wedding pie, and the Tournament of the Leaping Trout - it is remembered as the most fierce competition in recent memory. * 252: Alliser’s mother Alena Durrandon, gives birth to Grover Tully, her 3rd and final son. His father Lord Edmure Tully dies fighting raiding Ironborn on the coast alongside Lord Mallister. Alliser commits to raising his brother as his own son. * 253: Alliser’s first child is born Alesander Tully. The boy is born on the night of a star shower. * 259: Alliser’s second child is stillborn, two falcons are seen over Riverrun at the time of his birth. Alliser travels to Lannisport and Casterly Rock to speak with his best friend Tion Lannister and develop trade lanes. * 264: Alliser hosts the Tournament of the Golden Trout - a collection of the entire extended family of House Tully is invited which includes both Arryn, Durrandan, Mallister, Frey, and invited guests the Lannisters through Tion. Andar Arryn wins the tournament and Alliser finds himself wishing his own son was more like the heir to the Vale. * 267: Alliser is called to battle as Lord Lychester faces a revolt from his peasantry for implementing a new tax. The rebels are broken in the first battle and the instigator elects to take The Black, mercy is offered to the rest. * 269: During an Ironborn raid Alliser Tully fights both Cotter and Euron Goodbrother at the same time, demonstrating that the old man has not lost all his martial ability. Rumor spreads that it was single handed but in fact it was alongside his brother Brynden who dies of his wounds several days after the duel. * 271-280: A period of peace for House Tully, much is done to build up the farmlands of their land, the family stockpiles significant wealth during this time thanks to their steward Hamish Grell. * 272: Gwyn Tully is born the third child of Alliser and Jeyne. She is born on the night of a red moon. * 276: Alliser, and Alesander, travel to the Vale for the wedding of King Andar Arryn. * 279: The twins of House Tully are born Elmo and Kermit. Their morning birth is marked by a thunderstorm. Jeyne is totally worn out by the birth, she spends the rest of the year bedridden but recovers though much weaker than before. * 280: Alena Durrandon dies, a smile on her face, her heartbreak soothed as her grandchildren file around her bed to see her off to the seven heavens. * 287: Gwyn coming into her beauty is named the Ruby of the Red Fork and is desired throughout Westeros by eligible bachelors; she and Alliser turn each suitor down that approaches. * 289: Alesander takes the Frey heir as squire several years after his marriage to Roslyn Frey * 290-292: War of the Trident - Alliser spends the war as widely known defending Riverrun valiently against the Greenhand of King Gwayne XI, and then fighting alongside Tyrion Lannister. * 293-294: A strong building of relations with Lannister, rebuilding his lands and taking to learning farming and trade routes of his lands. * 295-296: A reinforcement of the walls of Riverrun takes places, crenulations are remade, an additional tower is added on the eastern wall. * 297-298: The seclusion of Tristifer Fletcher III prompts Alliser to start preparing his heir in secret to take a more active role in the family decision making. Family Family tree can be found here . Category:Riverlands Category:Kingdom of the Trident